


Factory Settings

by klutzy_girl



Category: DC's Legends of Tomorrow (TV)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Light Angst, Love Confessions, Season/Series 05
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-22
Updated: 2020-04-22
Packaged: 2021-03-01 19:07:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,143
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23792083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/klutzy_girl/pseuds/klutzy_girl
Summary: Spoilers up toZari, Not Zari. Nate's memories of the original timeline are fully restored, leading him to reflect on how much he loves both versions of Zari.
Relationships: Nate Heywood/Zari Tomaz | Zari Tarazi
Kudos: 22





	Factory Settings

Zari glanced at Nate in concern, slightly terrified of what judgment he was about to lay on her feet. The jolt that shook him when his memories of the original timeline unexpectedly returned rattled Nate to the core and he had to sit down for a few minutes. His hands trembled and he put his head in his hands as he tried to pull himself together. Busy with other shit since their memories hadn’t come back, the rest of the team remained blissfully unaware of the fact that he was in crisis mode. She bit her fingernails and waited for her world to come crashing down again, grateful she and Constantine had managed to resurrect Behrad. She didn’t even know why she was so worried about Nate’s reaction in the first place, other than the fact that the first Zari had been with him. She only had brief glimpses into the original timeline. “What are you thinking?” she asked in a small voice, surprising even herself.

He looked up at Zari and flashed her a nervous smile. “Can you give me a minute?” he asked her.

She nodded, fumbling as she tried to find the right words. “Of course.” Fuck, she needed her phone so she could panic post to her social media accounts and ignore this.

Nate trembled, hating himself for upsetting her. He patted the couch and winked at her. “Sit down, Z.”

Zari barked out a nervous laugh but sat down next to him, grateful the team was leaving them alone to have this conversation. She decided to throw it all out there and put her cards on the table. “Do you wish I was her?”

“Absolutely not!” Nate yelled, startling her. He apologized, took a deep breath, and then continued. “Zari, this is the timeline you were meant to be in - Behrad’s alive, after a misstep - thanks to you. You saved your family and the future, and you should absolutely be proud of yourself. You’re you, and there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that at all.”

She laughed, tearing up. “Thanks. I met her, you know?”

“Yeah, you mentioned it but didn’t really talk about it because of our other priorities. You ready now?” He flashed her a supportive smile.

Zari fidgeted and blew out a breath. “Yeah. She asked about our family first, and to know about Behrad. She was so happy he was alive again, asked him to see him - need to get on that now that he’s back, by the way. And then she wondered if we were together; surprised that you and my brother are friends. I feel inferior to her - she was a hero, and I’m a mess.” She already had this talk with the other version of herself but insecurities still plagued her.

“Zari, look at me,” he encouraged. When her head snapped up, he lifted her chin up so he could look in her eyes. “Yes, the two of you have your differences but you’re both awesome. I don’t want you to default back to your factory settings,” Nate teased before getting serious again, smiling when she chuckled. “You deserve to be here all the way - you’re an official Legend now. Well again,” he amended.

She choked on a sob and was grateful when he pulled her into his arms. “Thank you.”

“Thank you for being you, Zari Tarazi. Don’t ever change.” Shit, was he really about to confess his feelings for her? It wasn’t all that shocking but still, this was a huge fucking step. But he loved both versions of this amazing woman and was so grateful he got to spend this time with her. He couldn’t hold back anymore and even if he got rejected, he could live with the pain. Moving on would likely take a while but he’d accept whatever she said next. “I love every version of you in every timeline, Z. As cheesy and cliche as this sounds, you light up my life.” He winced. “Please slap me for that.”

She swiped tears off her face, chuckled, and just gazed at Nate in awe. “You’re the first person not in my family or a fan to actually say those words to me and mean it.”

“And it’s completely fine if you don’t feel the same, Zari. Don’t feel obligated to say it back. And you deserve to be told you are loved more often.” 

Zari grabbed his hand so she could hold it in a firm grasp. “Thank you, Nate.”

Nate fidgeted a bit. “You’re welcome.”

“Really wish I could Tweet about this right now but I’ll settle for talking to you. You started off as my brother’s weird best friend but you’re one of mine now too. And I don’t know how I feel about you yet but you’re pretty fucking awesome yourself.” She angled her head so she could give him a quick kiss. 

“Take as much time as you need. We’ve been dealing with a lot lately.”

“Are you okay? I know you miss Ray, and then Behrad died like right after he left. Should have asked you this before.” Now she felt guilty.

“Hey, don’t do that - you had a lot on your plate too. I don’t blame you for not asking me before. I miss Ray but we talk as much as we can, and Behrad’s back. Not our first go-around with death and resurrection on this ship.” He was so in awe of this woman, of how she’s come out the other side stronger after everything that’s rained down on her. She faced her struggles head on and lived to tell the tale, albeit in a different timeline. Zari is much stronger than she knows, and he hopes she figures that out soon.

She stayed silent on the fact that she found him breaking down just hours after Behrad’s death and wishes she had been able to comfort him when he was lost in his grief. “You want to go eat something? I could really go for a donut right now. Carbs can go fuck themselves.” Her original self would be so proud of her.

Nate brushed her hair back from his face and tilted his head back as laughter overtook him. “Let’s go get your donuts.” They stood up and walked out of the room holding hands.

Nate and Zari had a lot to work through - separately and as a couple - but they had already lived through all the bad shit life had thrown at them. They could beat anything if they set their mind to it and had the team (their family) on their side. They had been ripped apart by the universe on several occasions but for once, they were free to be together. The next crisis likely looming on the horizon would probably fuck everything up again but it wouldn’t break either of them this time.


End file.
